“So I speak to the deceased. I call his name: Jesse James Langley Sr., my grandfather. The spoken word is more powerful than we will ever know…. He is listening.” So writes Kenji Jasper in The House on Childress Street, in which Jasper delves into the personal history of his late grandfather and emerges with moral lessons on black manhood, family and race relations in America. That freedom is born from true self-awareness is Jasper’s ultimate lesson. The author will be at B.N. Duke Auditorium at NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY on Wednesday, Jan. 25 to sign and read from his new book. The signing begins at 6:30 p.m. and will be followed by the reading at 7 p.m.